


Golden hour

by purepaperplate



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, johnny is an ally, just some soft identity exploration, nail polish as a plot device
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23577328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purepaperplate/pseuds/purepaperplate
Summary: There’s no reason Mark should be reacting to Donghyuck’s chipped black nail polish. But every time he looks over and sees the way the deep color draws attention to Donghyuck’s fingers and knuckles and their movements, he feels his heart kick up and his stomach squeeze like he’s walking into an exam he knows he’s going to fail.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 14
Kudos: 105





	Golden hour

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to queen ephemeraldt for beta-ing :)

There’s no reason at all that Mark should be reacting to Donghyuck’s chipped black nail polish. The younger is clicking at his keyboard frantically trying to win whatever game he had been obsessing over for the last week and a half, and all Mark can do is stare at his nails. He doesn’t think it’s wrong for boys to wear nail polish. He doesn’t think it’s wrong for Donghyuck to wear nail polish. But every time he looks over and sees the way the deep color draws attention to Donghyuck’s fingers and knuckles and their movements, he feels his heart kick up a bit and his stomach squeeze, like when he’s walking into an exam he knows he’s going to fail.

When Donghyuck catches him zoning out staring intently at his hands when they’re eating lunch together, he kicks Mark under the table. “Earth to Mark! You’re totally tuning me out!” he pouts. “Sorry, I was just... looking at your nails.” Hyuck’s face pinches a bit, seemingly ready to go on the defensive. “I really like the um... the color,” Mark stutters. “It’s black,” Hyuck responds in a deadpan. “I know! But it goes well with everything and- I don’t know it’s just a good look. I don’t think I could pull it off!” Mark rushes to say, looking down at his food so that his hair falls in front of his face.

Donghyuck’s expression is mischievous when Mark dares look up again; “Wanna go on a quick convenience store run with me?” he asks. Mark knows Hyuck is up to something, but he also knows that he’s willing to play the fool if it will make Hyuck laugh, especially if it ends their former conversation. “Let me get my coat,” he replies, trying to sound more put out than he feels.

When they walk into the convenience store they always raid for midnight snacks, Mark expects Donghyuck to beeline towards the cooler of ice cream, expects him to make puppy eyes at him until he caves and buys ‘his dongsaeng’ whatever he wants. Instead, Hyuck smirks at him and drags him to an aisle he’s never explored. It’s full of drugstore makeup products, fringed by ads in eye-catching colors and equally eye-catching models with perfectly rouged lips and pale white skin. Donghyuck moves his grip from Mark’s wrist to lace their fingers together as he tugs him further down the aisle. Mark is kind of entranced by the contact, can’t keep his eyes off the pattern of their fingers: his naked, short nails and Hyuck’s messy black lacquered ones. They fit together.

Hyuck stops them in front of a brightly lit display of nail polishes in every color Mark has ever seen. He’s immediately drawn to the glittery shades on the bottom shelf and he drops down to get a better look. He runs his finger over the bottles, stopping at a bright golden one with a clear base that looks like a vial of dissolved gold leaf. Mark looks up at Hyuck then back down at the bottle and smiles, pulling it off the shelf. He then spots a deep navy blue, so dark it’s almost black, filled with iridescent glitter. He can’t resist and pulls that one out too. He doesn’t realize he’s smiling until he stands up and Donghyuck pinches his cheek a little, a look behind his eyes Mark can't read.

"Are those for me?” he asks in a cutesy tone. Mark blushes a bit and looks at the bottles again. “I- uh... I was kinda thinking maybe I could try them too?” he murmurs, self-conscious. “I thought you said you couldn’t pull it off?” Hyuck teases. Mark looks down “Do you think it’ll look bad?” he asks quietly, not willing to look at the younger boy’s reaction. “Hey,” Hyuck says taking a step closer and taking his hand again. “I didn’t mean it like that. I think it’ll look really pretty on you,” he replies softly. Mark meets his eyes and when he sees the honesty there he feels his heart squeeze a little. “Thanks,” he smiles.

Instead of lingering in the moment, Donghyuck grabs the polishes out of Mark’s hand and runs to the counter before Mark can fully register what’s happening. “You brat!” he yells, taking off after him. When he catches up, Mark can see Donghyuck placing them on the counter along with a pack of strawberry gum. The woman behind the counter gives him a look that screams _don’t run in my store you hooligan_ and he ducks into the chip aisle to catch his breath and hide his embarrassment. When he hears Hyuck exchange 'thank you's with the cashier, he slinks out of hiding and falls into step with Donghyuck outside. He can’t help but study Donghyuck’s profile, the younger boy intentionally avoiding eye contact and smacking his gum the way he knows Mark can’t stand.

“What?” he snaps after Mark stops walking, tone more bratty than angry. Mark looks at the bag wrapped around Hyuck’s knuckles and takes his other hand into his own. He squeezes it and looks into Donghyuck’s eyes with all the warmth he can never manage to hide. “Oh, Canada!” Hyuck sighs back dramatically, pretending to faint; “You’re so dramatic.” Mark laughs but he knows they both understand what the other was trying to say.

That night, Mark finds himself staring at the sparkling glass bottles on his nightstand. He loves the dark blue (Midnight Aura, the bottle says) but he feels nervous wearing such a bold color for everyone to see. After staring at it for another minute he snatches it up and walks to Johnny and Donghyuck’s room. Their door is propped open so he invites himself in. Johnny’s in bed watching something on his laptop, and Hyuck is laying on his stomach playing a game on his phone, bottom lip between his teeth and eyes narrowed in focus. Johnny spots him first.

“Markie!” he smiles, patting the space next to him on the bed. Mark feels his lips tugging into a smile and he hops onto the bed and curls into Johnny’s side. “Whatcha got there?” Johnny asks, eyeing the bottle Mark has clutched in his palm. “Oh, uh...” he looks at Donghyuck but he’s still absorbed in his game. He takes a breath and opens his palm. “Hyuck got some nail stuff last week and I kinda wanted his help putting it on and for um... moral support, I guess?” Johnny’s eyes are kind when he takes the bottle and holds it up to the light. “The iridescent glitter is sick, dude! I’m sure it’ll look great.” Mark smiles and feels a small weight lift somewhere inside him. “I thought so too, but it’s such a dark color I’m scared i’ll mess it up or people will think it’s too much.” “Or maybe they’ll think it’s a new trend,” Johnny suggests.

He offers Mark his hand, palm down; “Do you want to practice on me?” he asks. Mark perks up instantly; “Really hyung!?” “Yeah, go ahead” Johnny laughs, finding Mark’s excitement adorable. “But you can’t do it on my bed, I am not risking spilling that on my sheets.”

Mark grabs a roll of paper towels from the kitchen and sits down across from Johnny on the floor. They move a chair between them to rest their hands on so that they don’t have to crane their necks down too much, and Mark decides to start with Johnny’s pinky since it’s the smallest canvas. He twists the brush out of the bottle and swipes it slowly down the nail. The brush is a little thin so he goes back over the sides but finds that there’s not enough left on the brush. He dips the brush in again and eventually settles in a rhythm building up the color in even strokes.

He is focusing so intently on painting the rest of Johnny’s fingers that he startles when Donghyuck bends next to him to look at his work and comments “Start with the thumb next time.”

“Hyuck! You startled me, don’t make me mess up,” Mark whines, trying to elbow him away. Once he finishes painting Johnny’s thumb and blows on it to dry faster, Johnny puts his hand against his cheek, posing dramatically. “How do I look?” he asks.

“Like a cheap hand model,” Hyuck replies immediately. Mark laughs but takes Johnny’s hand again, smiling up at him. “I think it looks good, thanks for letting me practice on you hyung.” “Of course, but you better paint my other hand so I don’t look like an idiot,” he replies trying to look stern.

“Can I do your other hand?” Donghyuck asks with wide, innocent eyes. Johnny narrows his eyes even more before groaning resignedly. “I’m going to regret this,” he groans moving his hand in front of Donghyuck.

Hyuck’s approach is, to put it politely, less precise than Mark’s. He dunks the brush into the bottle and glops one drop onto each nail before slathering it haphazardly across his nail, cuticle, and the sides of his fingers, cackling at the mess as Johnny tries to pull his hand away. Mark laughs so hard he can’t breathe and falls onto his back on their carpet feeling weightless.

In the end Mark decides to start with the gold polish. It has a clear base and the golden glitter is a lot more subtle for his first foray into wearing nail polish. The night after he paints Johnny’s nails, Mark closes himself in his room and paints the glitter across his nails as carefully as he can. He finds the act soothing, a new way of taking care of himself. After struggling a bit with his right hand, he waits patiently at his desk to let them dry, listening to a playlist Donghyuck had made for him over the summer.

After two days of wear, Mark knows he is absolutely in love with the golden polish. It sparkles in the sun when it catches the light. It draws his attention to his fingers when he’s strumming his guitar, watching them play songs from muscle memory, like they’re not even his. He likes that even when he feels kind of gross after dance practice or when he’s just lounging around the dorm in a groutfit he still feels fancy, still feels pretty. Every movement is suddenly a flourish, an event.

Unfortunately, it also makes the small ache he feels when he looks at Donghyuck that much stronger. He imagines running his fingers through Hyuck’s hair and catching flickers of golden light weaving through the strands. He imagines their hands linked together, looking a little more complete now, a little more intentional. He thinks about how good they’d look on each other’s skin, his fingers tracing the moles on Hyuck’s cheeks and bringing out its golden tones, Donghyuck’s dark black nails wrapped around his neck, looking so real. He wants to kiss his fingers and watch the sun set on their porch.

Maybe golden hour reminds him of Donghyuck every time.

When Hyuck notices the polish that first morning, he tugs Mark closer by his pointer finger, studying both his hands. He holds his palm up to Mark’s as if to test whose hands are bigger. “It looks good,” he says, gaze a bit distant. Mark doesn’t know if he’s reading too much into the look.

Mark is sitting on the couch watching the sun set over Seoul and strumming at his guitar distractedly. He’s in his own head, thinking about nothing of any real importance, when Donghyuck collapses into the seat next to him, narrowly avoiding contact with the neck of Mark’s guitar. Instead of poking Mark until he gives him attention like usual, Donghyuck just kind of watches him play, and Mark can’t help but play more mindfully. He picks up a tune and Hyuck starts to hum along, scat singing a little as they build a rhythm together. Mark closes his eyes, fingering the strings he already knows will suit Hyuck’s melody. He feels Hyuck’s pace slowing and starts to play them out until it’s quiet between them. Mark opens his eyes and finds Hyuck smiling at him. Mark knocks his shoulder into Donghyuck’s, whose smile grows as he copies the gesture.

“You’re my best friend,” Mark says, eyes on their hands, the skyline. Hyuck whispers back a few heartbeats later; “You’re my best friend, too.” Mark wonders if Hyuck means it the way he means it.

After another week of wear, Mark’s golden polish is struggling. He’s chipped it countless times on his guitar strings and eventually couldn’t help picking at it until it flaked off in places.

That night he knocks on Donghyuck’s door intent on stealing his nail polish remover. “It’s in the third drawer over there,” Donghyuck points lazily.

“You sick of wearing it?” he asks, flopping onto his back on the bed. “Nah, it’s just coming off, plus I wanna try a new color,” Mark grins at the thought of the dark blue Johnny had worn for about 12 hours before scrubbing off.

“You’re not gonna use the gold again?” Donghyuck asks. Mark looks up in surprise. “No?” he responds, more a question than an answer. “Did you want to use it?” he asks when Hyuck doesn’t answer. Mark steps closer and pokes Hyuck in the ribs; “Why are you pouting?” he prods. “It’s dumb,” Hyuck replies, pouting harder. “Spit it out,” Mark grins, tickling Hyuck’s ribs just a little. Hyuck lets out a shriek of a laugh before rolling away. He mumbles in the direction of the wall. “What?” Mark asks. Hyuck rolls onto his back with a dramatic sigh; “I’m just gonna miss it a little, that’s all.” “Really?” Mark asks softly. Donghyuck nods. “It really suits you,” he says holding Mark’s hand in front of him to get one last good look. “Looks cool when you play guitar and stuff,” he says a bit absentmindedly. Mark grins and lays down on the bed next to him.

“You wanna know why I picked this color?” he asks. Hyuck turns to him and nods, eyelashes fluttering as he looks from Mark to their hands, once again laced together.

“It reminds me of you,” Mark confesses with a small, nervous smile. “It makes me think of going to the beach with you in the summer with the sand and the body glitter you used to wear sometimes and it’s really bright and happy. It was the first one that caught my eye,” he recalls.

When he builds the courage to look up to Donghyuck, the younger boy looks at him for a long time. Mark holds his gaze until Donghyuck lifts his hand to cup Mark’s cheek. Mark can’t help but close his eyes at the warmth, the comfort that seeps into his skin. He feels Donghyuck come closer, feels his breath on his cheek but he doesn’t dare open his eyes. Donghyuck softly presses his nose against Mark’s.

“Can I?” he whispers. Mark nods so fiercely he almost knocks their foreheads together. When their lips meet he’s overwhelmed by how soft Hyuck’s lips are. Donghyuck pulls away first and Mark opens his eyes and reaches up to hold the hand resting on his cheek. “Again,” he whispers. Donghyuck rolls his eyes but his smile brightens anyway.

This time they press harder. Hyuck sucks a bit at Marks bottom lip and he feels a golden light spark within him. They press soft kisses and curl closer together and that’s how Johnny finds them, Donghyuck on Mark’s chest pressing soft kisses to his neck while Mark cards his fingers through Hyuck’s hair gently.

The next morning, Mark’s nails are painted a dark iridescent blue, interlaced with Donghyuck’s nails that shine a bright, glittery gold.

**Author's Note:**

> i'd love to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> comments and kudos make my day!


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